Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cerquilho

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerquilho: $758 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cerquilho
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Cerquilho Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cerquilho

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Cerquilho actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $758 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cerquilho $758

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,232 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cerquilho $1,232

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,706 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cerquilho $1,706

Medellin costs about 123% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cerquilho is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$6.42 R$35.22

29.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$30.11 R$165

54.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.54 R$41.39

25.60%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.87 R$10.28

67.38%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.48 R$8.12

19.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.12 R$6.17

26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.11 R$6.07

183.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.74 R$15.05

108.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.16 R$6.39

31.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.45 R$7.98

57.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.11 R$6.12

74.77%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.56 R$14.06

19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.44 R$46.33

18.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$1.89 R$10.40

452.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$5.73 R$31.46

143.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.89 R$10.39

114.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.68 R$9.24

-8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.13 R$6.21

85.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.76 R$9.67

30.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.29 R$7.07

63.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.54 R$2.98

216.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.84 R$4.58

39.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.58 R$3.18

172.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.28 R$7.05

205.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$8.50 R$46.66

65.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.09 R$5.99

61.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.76 R$15.15

-1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.94 R$5.17

25.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$42.23 R$232

80.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.24 R$6.80

45.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.32 R$7.23

61.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$8.84 R$48.53

-8.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.14 R$6.26

12.28%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$21.7K R$119.1K

58.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$31.6K R$173.3K

8.11%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$178 COP 576.3K

$40.77 R$224

335.93%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$12.92 R$70.9

7.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$14.85 R$81.5

107.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$24.40 R$134

71.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$25.36 R$139

-33.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.24 R$39.72

3.18%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$790 COP 2.6M

$401 R$2,198

97.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,272 R$39.9K

69.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$31.47 R$173

174.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$18.95 R$104

212.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$55.6 R$305

148.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$79.7 R$437

23.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$332 R$1,824

303.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$226 R$1,242

194.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$638 R$3,499

209.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$456 R$2,502

126.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,578 R$8,659

159.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,129 R$6,199

71.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.12

-1.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cerquilho: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cerquilho

$226 29.9% 66.1% $441

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cerquilho

$169 22.3% 45% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cerquilho

$69 9% 69.2% $154

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cerquilho

$118 15.6% 31.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cerquilho

$84 11% 51.5% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cerquilho

$54 7.1% 42.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cerquilho

$39 5.1% 31.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $332 in Cerquilho. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $30 in Cerquilho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $169 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Cerquilho

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

44,695

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cerquilho 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cerquilho

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Cerquilho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 123% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,137 in Cerquilho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cerquilho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $332 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $401 in Cerquilho. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Cerquilho – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cerquilho is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.